Anambra: Ubah Chides Soludo over WAEC Comment, Challenges Him to Debate

Deji Elumoye and
Udora Orizu in Abuja

Governorship candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Anambra State, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, has challenged his counterpart in the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Professor Charles Soludo to within 48 hours provide his manifesto for the November 6 governorship election.

He also expressed his willingness to face him in a public debate within the next seven days.
Ubah’s challenge came on the heels of the recent comments of Soludo that WAEC School certificate holders could not be allowed to govern Anambra State.

The Senator, in a release on Sunday while describing Soludo’s comment as mudslinging and needlessly disruptive, said the statement was a game of misdirection, which sought to distract them from focusing on robust policy arguments and constructive debates that wouldresolve the palpable crises of governance in Anambra State.

Making reference to Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and so on who all rose to the apex of success without degrees, Ubah said Soludo should know that those money bags he wasallegedly anticipating to bankroll his campaign in Anambra were also not degree holders.

He also noted that those who gave him employment both in the past and present were not degree holders.
The only YPP Senator in the National Assembly, however, opined that anybody, who wantedto govern Anambra has the right to contest and should not be tongue-lashed because of a basic requirement by INEC.

“I sincerely retain the belief that the era of textbook grammatical grandstanding and theoretical politics is over in Anambra. Our people now want a leader with practicable ideas and dynamism to move the state forward.
“Ideas that will proffer sustainable solutions to the socio-economic problems beclouding the state due to bad governance brought to the fore by the present government.

“In this regard, I am challenging Prof. Soludo to an open public manifesto debate with me. Let us put our manifestos out before the court of public opinion and adjudication so as to let the people decide their preferred candidate, whose agenda resonates with the layman and electorate.

“My manifesto which is tagged ‘Arise, a New Anambra is Possible’ is a comprehensive road-map for the actualisation of a New and Better Anambra that will open access to equal opportunities to all Anambrarians, guarantee quality infrastructural development, qualitative education, improved security and rapid industrialisation in Anambra State.

“Furthermore, I will also unveil my Policy Document tagged; The Anambra Sustainable Socio Economic Transformation (A.S.S.E.T), which is an economic blueprint that incisively articulates and provides detailed Socio-Economic context/perspective on my Policy Thrust and Economic Roadmap for Anambra State.”